Episode 213 -- Caitlin Davis -- The Cookie Momster Reveals How She Built a Thriving Business While Raising Young Daughters

What happens when the thing that brings you joy accidentally becomes your career? Caitlin Davis stumbled upon the answer when she took a cookie decorating class during the pandemic, seeking something that was just for her amidst the all-consuming experience of new motherhood. That single class transformed into "The Cookie Momster," a thriving custom cookie business that created 17,000 edible works of art last year.Caitlin's story defies the typical entrepreneurial narrative. After stepping back from her medical assisting career during COVID while pregnant with her first daughter, she found herself seeking balance between motherhood and personal fulfillment. When she first told her husband she wanted to start decorating cookies, neither imagined it would become what it is today – a full family enterprise with her mother as business partner, handling the logistics while Caitlin brings her artistic vision to life.The conversation explores the beautiful complexity of modern motherhood and entrepreneurship. From creating cookies for a one-eyed horse's birthday to navigating the challenges of running a food business under cottage laws, Caitlin shares how she's learned to embrace her unique path despite sometimes feeling her work wasn't "career worthy." She discusses living next door to her parents (who are also business partners), the importance of establishing healthy boundaries, and how running a business has taught her to value her own time and talents.Most powerfully, Caitlin reflects on her journey toward better self-talk and confidence – realizing that the harsh inner critic she once tolerated wasn't something she'd want her daughters to inherit. "If I heard them speaking to themselves like that, I would not be happy," she shares, revealing how motherhood became the catalyst for personal growth that benefited both her family and business.Ready to be inspired by cookies and courage? Listen now, and remember Caitlin's powerful reminder: "Taking the different road is okay. It's okay to be a little different."Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff